FROM THE ARCHIVE

Nation awaits fate of races

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NOVEMBER 9, 2000

As the Election Day aftermath wore on, voters in Indian Country came to the realization that Senator Slade Gorton (R-Wash) might end up in office for six more years and George W. Bush might take the Presidency.

"Let's pray that Indians, especially in Florida, across the nation voted. We can't afford to have Bush treat us like he treats the Kickapoo and the Tigua Pueblo in Texas," wrote one reader on Indian Country Today's web site.

But Native Americans aren't the only ones watching the vote. Should challenger Maria Cantwell win the Washington race, the Senate would be split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, the first time in more than 100 years.

The anticipation doesn't end there, however. If Al Gore loses the race, George Bush's running mate, Dick Cheney, would serve as president of the Senate.

As such, he would end up casting the tie-breaking vote when the Senate reaches a deadlock on a bill.

But if Gore wins the race, his running mate, Joe Lieberman, would give up his Senate seat and the state's Republican Governor, John Rowland, would name a GOP replacement. Lieberman easily won re-election on Tuesday.

Like the Presidential race, the media made a bad call on Gorton. With less than 30 percent of precincts reporting, the national media declared Gorton the loser around 1:00 AM Eastern Standard Time.

But the votes for Gorton increased as the hours wore on. As the sun rose on the East Coast, Gorton held a slight lead over Cantwell, a lead which he maintains today with 99 percent of precincts reporting.

As it stands, both Cantwell or Gorton are expecting to win the race.

Meanwhile, the recount continues in Florida, where Bush leads over Gore. Nationally, Gore has the popular vote but stands to lose the Presidency if Florida's 25 Electoral College votes go to Bush.

Some 19,000 of the ballots in one county have been disqualified because voters chose more than one candidate for President. The recount won't be complete until later today but the state might wait up to 10 days for overseas absentee ballots to be counted.

Get the latest numbers:
Washington Senate Results (The Washington Post)
National Presidential Summary (The Washington Post)

Relevant Links:
First American Education Project - www.first-americans.net
Slade Gorton - www.slade2000.com
Maria Cantwell - www.cantwell2000.com

Related Stories:
Gorton clinging to lead (Politics 11/8)
Campaign Watch: Washington (Politics 11/6)
Races close in Washington (Politics 10/26)
Gorton to receive environmental award (Enviro 10/10)
EDITORIAL: Gorton's record a disappointment (Enviro 10/10)
Gorton removes dam breaching measure (Enviro 10/02)
Report: Gorton can't read (Enviro 09/22)
Tribe-endorsed candidate to face Gorton (Politics 09/20)
Anti-Gorton ads air (Politics 08/15)
Tribes, Gorton protest salmon plan (Enviro 08/30)
Tribal leaders endorse Gorton foe (Politics 08/01)
Should Indian Country reconsider Gorton? (The Talking Circle 07/25)
Mark Trahant: Sovereignty...except (The Talking Circle 07/24)
Gorton responds to resolution (Politics 07/12)
Bill would increase funding (Tribal Law 7/12)
Gorton opposes dam breaching (Enviro 04/18)